French kitten hurler jailed for animal cruelty

MARSEILLE (AFP) - A Frenchman who sparked widespread outrage by posting videos of himself hurling a kitten through the air was sentenced to a year in prison on Monday on charges of animal cruelty.

Farid Ghilas, 24, was arrested in the southern city of Marseille on Friday after the video was posted on the Internet showing him throwing a white-and-ginger kitten named Oscar as far as he could through a housing estate.

Five-month-old Oscar, shown mewling and traumatised in the video, survived but suffered a broken leg and is facing surgery.

In court, Ghilas, who had eight previous criminal convictions, expressed remorse at the incident.